Missouri City mom finds two gators in a month on lawn

By Carol Christian |
June 19, 2013

Tim Hanson, left, and Eric Melass, an owner at Killum Pest Control, prepare to remove an alligator June 18 from a Sienna Plantation lawn in Fort Bend County.

Photo By Courtesy photo

A Sienna Plantation resident found this 8-foot alligator Memorial Day on her front porch.

Rachael Bayramli understands that her Sienna Plantation home in Missouri City is attractive to alligators.

It's just that, after two showed up on her lawn within a month, she'd like some clarity on what to do with them.

"We know they're here," said Bayramli, who has lived in her home for two years. "They're kind of cool to see when they're in the water and come out and are sunning themselves. But it's nice when they're in the pond, not at my front door."

On Memorial Day, an 8-foot alligator showed up on Bayramli's front porch.

"We get lots of turtles, raccoons and other stuff here, but it kind of freaks the kids out when there's an alligator on the porch," she said.

Bayramli called Texas Parks and Wildlife but when she didn't reach anyone, she contacted the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Department. A deputy and a neighbor managed to get the alligator into a pond in the subdivision, where several of the creatures live, she said.

When a second alligator showed up Tuesday on her property, Bayramli said she called Eric Melaas who has a permit through Texas Parks and Wildlife to remove nuisance alligators.

Although he works for Killum Pest Control, Melaas said his nuisance alligator permit is separate from his private business.

Melaas said he and a helper caught the alligator live and took it to a farmer.

"We always discourage residents from feeding them, which will make them want to approach humans," Denton said. "We rely on Texas Parks and Wildlife, since they are the experts, to really handle them."

During alligators' mating season, April 1 – June 30, it's common for them to show up on lawns, in pools or even inside houses in coastal subdivisions.

People who are unfamiliar with alligators sometimes panic when they see one and call for its immediate removal, but Parks and Wildlife says that may not be necessary. The department offers tips on what to do, titled "If You See an Alligator."